Based on the papers of an international conference, this book deals with a turning-point in European history - the dramatic struggle between the Protestant Reformation and the Catholic counter-Reformation, and between princely rulers and landed nobles in 16th- and 17th-century central and eastern Europe. It brings together the results of the latest research by leading scholars from North America and Europe, much of it otherwise unavailable in English; and it throws new light on the victory of the Church and the rulers over Protestantism and the nobility which, leading to the growth of princely absolutions, had such profound long-term consequences. Other titles in the series include "Studies in the Russian Economy Before 1914", "Perspectives on Literature and Society in Eastern and Western Europe" and "The Movement for Greek Independence, 1770-1821: A Collection of Documents".